Everyone has heard of the Detective Comics (DC) Trinity: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (the leaders of the Justice League). However, the former sidekicks of these superheroes—Nightwing, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash—are much lesser known because they have not been in the spotlight as much as their mentors have. Now, DC Comics is ushering in a new era, one with the younger heroes, the Titans, as Earth’s primary defenders. 

“While we are discussing the future of the Justice League, the Earth will still need protection. What that looks like would be up to you. You are a warrior and a man of peace. We have every confidence in you,” Wonder Woman said in “Nightwing” issue #100 written by Tom Taylor.  

In 1964, in “The Brave and the Bold” comic issue #54, Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad formed their own team without their mentors before later adding Wonder Girl to their ranks and naming themselves the Teen Titans in issue #60. Over the next few decades, the team’s roster expanded, and many different young heroes cycled in and out. As the original members grew older, the younger generations kept the “teen” in their name, but Nightwing, Wonder Girl, and Flash, along with Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, simply became known as the Titans.  

“I would love to see [the Titans] become the new Justice League! I think it would be very interesting to see what they do,” Hailey Yager, freshman, said. 

The Titans’ leader is Nightwing, whose civilian identity is Richard “Dick” Grayson. The hero was first introduced in the “Detective Comics” issue #38 in April 1940 as the only child of trapeze artists, the Flying Graysons. When his parents tragically fell to their deaths, audience member Bruce Wayne, Batman’s civilian identity, took the nine-year-old in as a ward and raised him. For years, the two patrolled the streets of Gotham City as Batman and Robin until a falling-out led to Grayson leaving Wayne behind, moving to the neighboring city Blüdhaven and taking up the alias Nightwing instead. 

“I like Nightwing because he can defeat every character in the DC universe and because he had the best character development,” Marvin Oxlaj, sophomore, said. 

As the Justice League takes a step back and the Titans come to the forefront of the DC Comics universe, fans and critics alike wait in anticipation for “Titans #1” to hit comic book stores on May 16, 2023.